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Guthrie Bill Included in House Opioid Package

06/22/18

WASHINGTON, D.C.– The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6), which includes Congressman Brett Guthrie’s Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act passed the House by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 396 to 14.

Last week, the House overwhelmingly passed Guthrie’s Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Actby a vote of 383-13, along with 38 other bills to combat the opioid crisis. The Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act would establish a grant program for treatment facilities to offer all FDA-approved treatments for opioid use disorder.

This week, the House passed 18 additional bills to combat the opioid crisis, culminating in the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which incorporates several bills that were passed over the past two weeks to address the opioid epidemic. Guthrie is a cosponsor of the bipartisan SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act.

As vice chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, and as a senior member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Guthrie worked with his colleagues to craft many of the bills passed by the House.

“I have heard from Kentuckians across the Second District about the devastating effects the opioid crisis is having in the Commonwealth,” said Guthrie. “I was proud to work with both of my committees to address this important issue. My bill, the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act, will give patients options when it comes to the treatment they receive for opioid use disorder. Our other legislation focuses on prevention, treatment and recovery, protecting communities, and fighting the illicit fentanyl trade. I urge the Senate to pass the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act as soon as possible to provide relief to the states and communities that are affected by the opioid epidemic.”

Congressman Guthrie delivered a speechon the House floor on Friday in support of opioid legislation. The full text of his remarks as prepared is below.

“I rise today in support of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act.

“Kentucky has been one of the hardest hit by our nation’s opioid crisis. I have heard from Kentuckians across the Second District about the devastating effects the opioid crisis is having in the Commonwealth. Parents have lost their children to opioid use disorder. Employers are having a hard time finding employees. The opioid crisis is taking a terrible toll on our communities.

“Last Congress, I was proud to work with my colleagues as we crafted the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA. We also passed the 21st Century Cures Act. We have come together to build on those two laws with more legislation to address the ongoing opioid epidemic.

“Over the past two weeks we have passed over fifty bills out of the House that will help in some way, including my bill, the Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act. Today, we vote on the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, the culmination of our work over the past year to combat the opioid crisis. It focuses on prevention, treatment and recovery, protecting communities, and fighting the illicit fentanyl trade. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill that will help all Americans affected by this awful epidemic.”